The Family
Wei and Lin came to Australia from Chengdu in 2008 on student visas, built successful careers in engineering and accounting, and became Australian citizens. Their two children were born in Australia. But their parents — Wei's mother and father, and Lin's mother — were still in China, growing older.
As their parents' health began to change and family responsibilities grew, Wei and Lin increasingly felt the weight of the distance. They flew home every year, but it was never enough. They wanted their parents in Australia permanently — to be grandparents to their children, to be cared for as they aged.
Understanding the Complexity
When Wei first researched parent visas, the wait times for the non-contributory 103 visa — 20 to 30 years — came as a shock. They hadn't appreciated that Australian parent visas are among the most oversubscribed visa categories in the world.
They came to Global Migrations for a consultation. We explained the full landscape: the non-contributory 103 with its decades-long wait, the Contributory Parent Visa (143) which is substantially faster but carries a significant government charge, and the strategic option of using the temporary 173 visa to bring parents to Australia quickly while the 143 is processed.
We also assessed the balance-of-family test for each parent — a requirement that can trip up applications where parents have children in multiple countries. Wei's parents had two children: Wei in Australia and one sibling in the US. Lin's mother had two children: Lin in Australia and one in China. We advised on how to correctly document and meet this requirement.
The Strategy
After a thorough consultation, Wei and Lin decided on the Contributory Parent Visa (143) pathway for all three parents, combined with the temporary 173 bridge visa. This approach would allow the parents to arrive in Australia within 18–24 months rather than waiting years for the 143 to be processed.
We prepared three concurrent parent visa applications — a significant documentation exercise. Each parent required health examinations in China (which we coordinated through approved panel physicians), police clearances, certified translations of all documents, and detailed sponsorship documentation from Wei and Lin.
We lodged 173 temporary contributory parent visa applications simultaneously with the 143 applications. The 173 is processed much faster and allows parents to arrive in Australia while the 143 is in queue. Wei's parents arrived in Sydney on their 173 visas 18 months after lodgement — well before their 143 permanent visa was decided.
We also guided Wei and Lin through the Assurance of Support process — the financial bond that sponsors must lodge with the government. For contributory parent visas, this involves a bond held for 10 years. We managed the paperwork and explained the obligations clearly so there were no surprises.
The Outcome
Wei's parents arrived in Sydney on their 173 temporary visas 18 months after lodgement, in time to attend their grandchildren's school events that year. Lin's mother arrived six months later. All three parents were in Australia and adapting to Sydney life long before their permanent visas were decided.
The 143 permanent parent visas for Wei's parents were granted approximately 4 years after the original application. Lin's mother's 143 followed shortly after. All three parents are now permanent residents of Australia. The family is together — in the same city, for the first time.